


The Key

by Stacy LA Stronach (slashgirl)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-19
Updated: 2006-10-19
Packaged: 2017-10-10 21:44:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashgirl/pseuds/Stacy%20LA%20Stronach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in." Virginia Woolf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Key

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt for delgaserasca's Multi-fandom ficathon fest: "I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in." Virginia Woolf.  
> Warnings: Mild b&amp;d and D/s.  
> A/N: I'm not sure this fits the quote, exactly, but it's what I came up with. And I'm only three months late.

Virginia Woolf wrote: "I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in."

Normally, he awakens quickly. One minute he's asleep, the next his eyes are wide open and he's awake—ready to go. This morning, though, Aaron Hotchner finds that waking is like pushing his way up through layers of cotton. Something feels off, different. Keeping his eyes closed even as his mind becomes alert, Hotch tries to figure it out.

Taking a deep breath, the first thing he realises, from the feel of the mattress under his back, is that he's not in his own bed. He also notices the warmth along the left side of his body, so he knows he's not alone in whoever's bed this is. With sudden clarity, his mind recalls last night and what happened, where and whom he is with. Spencer Reid. He sighs, still not opening his eyes, and he remembers the previous evening.

He's standing in the doorway of his office, looking out over the bullpen where the members of his team usually sit. It's late now, almost 11 p.m. on a Thursday night, and the only person still here, other than Hotch, is Dr. Spencer Reid.

The main lights have been dimmed and the pool of light from the lamp on Spencer's desk doesn't do much for him: it highlights the thinness and sharp angles of his face, hiding the beauty that is there. To others, it would appear that Spencer is working late, perhaps on some important project but Hotch knows the young doctor better than that.

Grabbing his gear, Hotch locks his office and quietly makes his way to Spencer's desk. "C'mon, Spencer, I'll give you a drive home, okay?"

Spencer looks up, startled at Hotch's sudden presence. "Um, it' s okay, Hotch, I have my car—"

"And you've been sitting here for the past two hours, staring at that report. I don't think even you have enough brainpower to make it write itself. You've had a long day."

"I—" Spencer starts to protest. "Okay. Just let me get my stuff."

A few minutes later and the two men are on the elevator going down to the parking garage. Spencer shifts from foot to foot and glancing at Hotch.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" Hotch asks.

Spencer slides a quick look at Hotch. He opens his mouth as if to speak, closes it, then opens it again. "It's probably none of my business but…did you and Mrs. Hotchner split up?"

Hotch doesn't say anything as the elevator finishes making it's descent. When the doors open on the parking garage, he lets Spencer walk out first. "Yes, we've split up," he says in a quiet, almost cold, voice. He wonders how many of the others have figured it out.

Turning his head, Spencer glances at him and then nods his head. "I'm sorry."

Using the remote, Hotch unlocks the car doors, stowing his stuff in the back seat. Spencer keeps his satchel with him and sits in the passenger seat. Climbing in, Hotch starts the car and pulls out of the spot, heading for the entrance. "Why did you ask?"

Spencer shrugs. "I noticed that you've been staying late more than usual and you weren't making as many phone calls when we were away this last time. You seem tenser…less yourself. Nothing I could really put my finger on."

"I see."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried. I was just worried about you."

"Don't apologise. You weren't prying. I just…I just haven't said anything because I don't want anyone's pity. I try to keep work and home separate. I always have."

"Compartmentalisation."

It's Hotch's turn to shrug. "I had to. I didn't want to bring my work home with me anymore than I had to."

"Apparently, it didn't work very well."

"Apparently not," Hotch replies archly.

They travel in silence as Hotch guides the car through light traffic to Spencer's apartment.

"Does Gideon know?" Spencer asks, fidgeting with the strap on his satchel.

"Of course. He knew the day after it happened, it's hard to hide things from him, especially when there's no case to distract him." Hotch pauses for a moment before continuing, "Does anyone else realise…."

"That something is wrong? There've been a few comments that you seem a little 'off' but nobody has been speculating about it. But maybe you should let them know. They'll think you don't trust them otherwise."

"Mmm. For the good of the team," Hotch says, sarcasm lacing his voice.

Spencer turns and looks at him. "Have Gideon tell us about it. He'll make it clear that you don't wish to discuss it."

"Maybe."

"You'll probably get a 'sorry, man,' from Morgan. The women will be a bit more solicitous but it'll pass. The sooner you do it, the sooner it'll be over with," Spencer says.

"You sound like Jason."

"I do?" Spencer sounds hopeful.

Hotch chuckles. "I'm not sure I meant that as a compliment."

"Well, I'm still going to take it as one," Spencer says with a small laugh. "Hotch, I know I probably wouldn't be any help but if you ever need to talk about it…about things, I'm willing to listen," he says quietly.

"That definitely sounds like Jason," Hotch replies. He parks the car in Spencer's spot. Spencer is reaching for the door when he continues, "Do you have anything to drink up there?"

Trying not to sound surprised, Spencer says, "Yeah, I've got some beer in the fridge."

"You do?"

"Don't sound so shocked, I do drink once in a while. Besides, Morgan's been trying to get me interested in sports. He comes over sometimes and we watch a game."

Smiling, Hotch asks, "Is it working?"

"Not really, but it's nice to spend time with him," Spencer replies. "So, are you going to come up for a beer?"

"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks."

"Good," Spencer says, nodding.

Ten minutes later and Hotch is following Spencer into his apartment. Spencer takes his coat, hanging it up along with his own, and his satchel, in the hall closet. Hotch has been here a few times before. He, Gideon and Morgan had helped Spencer when he moved in.

"You know where everything is, right?" At Hotch's nod, Spencer continues, "You can go wait in the living room, if you want. I'll get us something to drink."

"Okay," Hotch says. Walking into the living room, he takes off his suit jacket, draping it over the arm of the couch. He looks around, noting that not a lot has changed since he was here last.

"Do you want anything to eat? I've got chips and some crackers."

"I'm fine, Spence."

Spencer comes in and hands a beer to Hotch before sitting down at the other end of the couch, sideways, cross-legged and facing him. Neither man speaks; Hotch stares at the wall and takes a couple sips of the beer, savouring the taste of the cold, bitter liquid. He can feel Spencer watching him but the younger man doesn't speak, quite content to wait for Hotch to start. Hotch wonders how long Spencer would wait for him….

"She left me almost three weeks ago. I thought something was up and I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn't. That should've been a red flag. It's not like we haven't gone through tough times before. But we'd made it. I even took time off to spend with her, I tried, I really did."

"I believe you," Spencer says.

Hotch looks at him sharply and meets Spencer's steady gaze. He feels his discomfort soften and he gives a small smile. "Thanks." He doesn't quite understand why that statement of belief is affecting him and he really doesn't want to look at it too closely. "I came home one night to an empty house. Not literally, she hadn't taken all the furniture…but she was gone, Benjamin was gone. She left a note and her wedding rings on the dining room table. A 'Dear John' letter." He stops speaking; he can feel his throat getting tight, both with sadness and anger, so he takes another drink of the beer, closing his eyes to help calm down. Hotch hasn't even told Jason this and he knows now that this is the reason why.

After a couple of minutes, he feels the light touch of Spencer's fingers on his arm. "What did it say?" he asks, his voice low.

"What did it say? Just that I'd done too little, too late. That she still cared about me but didn't love me anymore. That she wants a divorce and she won't keep me from seeing Benjamin. Generous of her," Hotch says. He pauses for a moment before continuing, "She also said she'd met someone else, that they'd been seeing one another for a couple months."

Quiet for a few moments, Spencer finally says, "That sucks."

Hotch lets out a quick bark of a laugh. "Yeah, that it does. And the thing that sucks the most? I didn't even notice! Some profiler I am."

"Hotch, you're trained to look for psychopaths, not adulterers. Besides, if we constantly profiled everyone in our life? We'd end up going nuts."

"I know but I still should have noticed _something_…I should have."

"But?"

"But what?"

Spencer shrugs. "It just sounded like there was more you wanted to say."

"Profiling me, are you?" Hotch asks, not looking at him. Spencer doesn't reply, he just stares at Hotch, waiting. "But…I think maybe I wanted her to leave."

"Really? Why?" Spencer asks, honestly surprised at Hotch's answer.

"Because then I wouldn't be the bad guy…I wouldn't be the one breaking up my marriage, at least not directly." Hotch finished his beer, but held onto the bottle, his thumb scraping across the damp label, ripping it off in little pieces.

"Do you want another one?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," Hotch says, handing the empty bottle to Spencer. He watches the other man walk into the kitchen and wonders just how much he'll end up telling Spencer, wonders what will happen if he tells him the whole truth.

Spencer returns and gives Hotch his beer. He settles back on the couch watching Hotch and waiting, again, for him to speak.

"I've always been the one everyone expects to be perfect, you know? Perfect son, perfect older brother, perfect student, perfect agent, perfect husband, perfect father. I don't think I've succeeded at any of it, ever. I've always ended up disappointing someone, somewhere. It's like I've always had this box that I can't step outside of…like I'm trapped in there. I don't know how to get out." Suddenly uncertain, sure that he's revealed too much, Hotch stands up and walks around the living room. He's sipping from the bottle and pacing an arc across the room to avoid the furniture.

Spencer doesn't reply but remains silent and watches Hotch. While he's pacing, Hotch reaches up and yanks his tie out of its knot, letting it dangle from his neck once it's undone. He unbuttons his cuffs, rolling them up before undoing the top couple buttons on his shirt, exposing the skin of his throat.

Hotch stops pacing and stands in the middle of the room, staring at Spencer. "What, no advice for me?"

Biting his lip, Spencer shrugs. "I figured anything I could tell you, you've already told yourself.

"I—," Hotch starts to speak and then stops. He had expected Spencer to say something else. He chuckles. "So, what have I told myself?"

"Many things, I'm sure. Things like the only person who can change things is you; that others don't really have those expectations of you—that it's self-inflicted so to speak. Oh, and that no matter how hard you try, you'll never be a perfect anything," Spencer pauses. "Although I doubt you tell yourself the more important fact: nobody is perfect. Absolutely no one."

Hotch doesn't speak, he merely stares at Spencer for several moments. Sometimes he forgets just how insightful Spencer can be, for such a young man, and it makes him uncomfortable. Jason used to be the only one who could read him so well. He swallows the rest of the beer in one drink. "I should go," he says, walking into the kitchen to get rid of the beer bottle.

He hears Spencer stand up and follow him into the kitchen. He stops behind Hotch, who's standing in front of the kitchen sink, hands braced on the counter while he looks out the window over the sink. "Hotch, I don't think you should drive, you've had a couple beers. You can stay here."

"What, on your couch?"

"Well, it does have a pull out bed."

"Yeah?" Hotch's tone is challenging and he still hasn't turned around.

"Yeah," Spencer replies before he steps closer to Hotch. His mouth is almost touching the shell of Hotch's ear when he speaks. "Of course, you can always share my bed."

Hotch sucks in a breath, wondering if Spencer knows just how much he wants to do that. Share Spencer's bed; share his body. Turning around, he sees a brief flash of uncertainty on Spencer's face and before Hotch can do anything else, Spencer is leaning in, his mouth pressing against Hotch's. Hotch doesn't do anything at first, just stands still, wondering what in the hell is happening. The warm wetness of Spencer's tongue tracing his lips is all it takes. Hotch opens his mouth to Spencer, letting him take control of the embrace.

Spencer's hands grab his upper arms while Hotch spans Spencer's slim waist in his hands, pulling him closer. The heat of Spencer's tongue in his mouth, and his body against his own, makes Hotch's cock start to get hard. He thrusts his hips forward, seeking more contact with Spencer.

When he's pushed back against the counter, Hotch grunts in surprise. He's never thought about Spencer being so…forceful and he finds the thought turns him on. Spencer draws his mouth away from Hotch's, teeth dragging across his lower lip and Hotch moans, a combination of disappointment and desire. He closes his eyes as Spencer moves his tongue along Hotch's jaw line up to his ear, sliding along the shell of it before sucking the lobe into his mouth, nipping it. Spencer blows a breath over his ear and Hotch shudders, the sensation shooting through his body straight to his dick, making him even harder. He gasps at the shock of it and slides his hands down and over Spencer's ass, pulling him closer and feeling the press of Spencer's hard dick against his hip.

Spencer is whispering against his ear: "What do you want, Aaron? Do you want to fuck me, to shove your dick up my ass and jerk me off…feel my come all over your hand? Or do you want me to fuck _you_? Do you want to be on all fours on the bed while I give it to you hard up the ass, stroking your cock, making you come? Tell me. What. Do. You. Want?"

While he's been talking to Aaron, Spencer has been undoing and pushing aside Aaron's shirt. His hands move up Aaron's sides, fingers splayed, finally coming to rest on the side of his pecs. Spencer's thumbs are rubbing over Aaron's nipples, raising them to hard nubs.

Letting out a shaky breath, all Aaron can think is that Spencer knows how to talk dirty and it's an incredible turn on. Finally, Aaron opens his eyes to find Spencer staring at him, eyes dilated and a small smile on his face. "I want—" Aaron pauses to clear his throat. When he speaks, his voice is thick with desire. "I want whatever you want to do me."

Leaning forward, Spencer licks at one of Aaron's nipples before sucking it into his mouth, tongue still playing with it. Aaron moans, his head falling back at the spiral of pleasure it sends through is body. Suddenly, Spencer bites his nipple, not hard enough to break the skin but hard enough that Aaron cries out at the pain that skirts along the edge of pleasure and he looks down at the other man in confusion. Spencer's face is set in an almost blank mask and there is a flare of anger, perhaps, in his eyes. His voice is firm when he speaks. "That is NOT what I asked. I asked you what you want, Aaron. If you can't tell me, then perhaps you don't deserve to share my bed."

Aaron doesn't say anything, his brain is on overload and he can't think.

"Well, are you going to tell me?"

"I want…" Aaron begins, his voice is quiet and it gets quieter. "I want you to…to fuck…." Aaron pauses again and looks directly at Spencer. "I want you to fuck me, Spence, please, take me, fuck me, use me…make me feel you, please," and Aaron winces at the notes of desperation, of want, that he can hear in his own voice.

Spencer trails his fingers over Aaron's nipples and he pinches them, hard, as he smiles and simply says, "Good." Pushing against Aaron's body again, Spencer kisses him again, controlling it, using his tongue to probe Aaron's mouth, and relishing the moan it draws from him.

Blindly moving his hands over Spencer's chest, Aaron loosens the tie the other man is wearing, his agile fingers then going to work on the shirt buttons. He quickly undoes the shirt, pushing it down Spencer's arms before letting his hands glide over the smooth skin of his chest. When Aaron's fingers brush over Spencer's nipples, he hears the pleasured whimper from Spencer; he pinches them and is rewarded with a body deep moan. Aaron manages a small groan in reaction but this kiss is leaving him breathless and he doesn't want it to end, it's so fucking good.

When he feels Spencer pushing at his shirt, pulling it down his arms, Aaron lets his hands drop, allowing it to be removed. Once he is free of the shirt, he slides his hands around Spencer's waist, to his back, trying to pull him closer, to press their naked skin together. He wants nothing more than to belong to and to be close to Spencer right now. Spencer resists, pulling back from the kiss. Sighing in disappointment, Aaron's breathing is heavy and he's aware of Spencer's breathlessness, too.

Spencer stares at Aaron. "You're mine now, Aaron. You'll do what I say," he says, voice low and rough. It's a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Aaron answers. It's the only answer, the right answer.

"Kneel."

Without even thinking about it, Aaron drops to his knees in front of Spencer and lowers his head, gazing at Spencer's bare feet, wondering what is going to happen now.

Reaching down, Spencer slides his hand under Aaron's chin, gently pushing his head up. He gazes at him for several long moments. "Suck me."

A sharp intake of breath and Aaron is raising his hands so he can unbutton and unzip Spencer's pants. He pushes the brown cords down so they pool at Spencer's feet and, leaning forward, he sucks on Spencer's hard cock through the thin cotton of the white briefs, relishing the heat and hardness of it.

Aaron reaches up, hooking his fingers in the elastic of the briefs and pulling them down. He grasps Spencer's hips in his hands, leaning in to flick his tongue lightly across the head of Spencer's cock.

With a needy little noise, Spencer slides his fingers through Aaron's hair, gripping his head tightly. Aaron slowly licks the length of Spencer's cock, tip to root and back again, before swirling his tongue around the head. He teases along the slit before sucking the head of Spencer's cock into his mouth and he feels, more than hears, the long, low moan Spencer makes. Aaron slides his mouth down a little further before pulling back; he does this several times, and with each movement downward and he envelops more of Spencer's cock in his mouth. He can feel Spencer's fingers clench harder on his scalp.

Drawing his mouth slowly off Spencer's cock, Aaron takes a deep breath, and relaxing his jaw and throat; he slides his mouth down the entire length of Spencer's cock.

"Aaron! Fuck," Spencer hisses, trying to thrust his hips forward.

Aaron swallows, the muscles caressing Spencer's dick and he feels Spencer's body stiffen as his orgasm hits him. Pulling back a little, letting Spencer's come spurt into his mouth, he takes it all, before letting Spencer's now soft cock slip out of his mouth. Aaron doesn't move, other than to lean his head against Spencer's hip. One of Spencer's hands still rests on his head, fingers massaging his scalp.

It takes Spencer a few moments to move and when he does, he leans over, kissing Aaron again. Aaron closes his eyes and opens his mouth immediately, sighing into the kiss. While they're kissing, he can feel Spencer urging him, and helping him, to stand up.

Once Aaron is standing again, Spencer wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him close and Aaron slides his arms around Spencer's shoulders, moaning as their naked chests press together. Spencer pushes his hands under the waistband of Aaron's pants, fingers clutching the cheeks of his ass. Aaron pushes his hips forward, pressing his cock against Spencer's hip.

While they're kissing, Spencer manages to step out of his pants and briefs. He moves his hands to Aaron's hips, guiding them toward his bedroom. Somehow, along the way, Spencer manages to undo Aaron's pants and they pause briefly when he steps out of them. They're still kissing but now, with short, sharp kisses. Tongues swiping into mouths, sliding together briefly, lips sucked on and bitten.

Aaron moans when their now naked bodies press together. His erection is trapped between them, so he moves his hips, trying to get some friction against his cock, wanting nothing more than to achieve his release. Aaron is so wrapped up in a fog of arousal and isn't aware they're in Spencer's bedroom until his legs hit the edge of Spencer's bed. Only then does Spencer release him and with a gentle push, Aaron tumbles back onto the bed.

He catches himself, resting on his elbows, staring at Spencer, who is glorious in his nakedness and, Aaron notes with a touch of envy, already starting to get hard again. When his gaze sweeps back up Spencer's body, Aaron finally notices that he's holding both their ties in his hand.

"Lie down, Aaron," Spencer whispers, moving closer to the edge of the bed.

Aaron does as Spencer requests, not really thinking about it. He just wants his release and on some level he knows that following Spencer's orders will get him that release. He lies back, stretching his arms over his head and grabbing the headboard, even as he spreads his legs. "Spencer…."

Spencer leans over, and using one of the ties, he secures Aaron's hands to the bed. Aaron pulls against them; tight but not too tight and if he has to, he knows he can get out of them. He doesn't think he'll want to do that. Spencer trails his fingers down the sides of Aaron's face before bringing the other tie up, wrapping it around his head, securing it so the broad end of the tie covers Aaron's eyes.

"Spencer, I don't know if I can…." Aaron tenses up. He wasn't expecting this, any of it, and doesn't know if he can handle it.

"Shhh, it's okay. I won't hurt you," Spencer whispers before ghosting a chaste kiss across Aaron's lips. "If you need me to stop…use a safeword. You know what that is, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"Pick something."

Aaron is quiet for a few moments. "Quantico," he says.

Spencer chuckles before kissing him again. "That'll work."

He feels the bed shift when Spencer climbs on, settling between Aaron's legs. Aaron tenses when he feels Spencer's hands settle just above his knees but relaxes as Spencer caresses him. His touch is firm but slow as he moves his hands up Aaron's thighs, brushing over the soft skin on the inside of his thighs. When his hands slide across Aaron's hips, he pushes upward, wanting those hands to stroke his cock, to make him come but Spencer ignores his silent plea.

Aaron pulls against his restraints, wanting to pull Spencer on top of him; to thrust against his body until they both come. Spencer's fingers on his skin feel like fire and send shocks of need through his body. He's panting now; his breathing is short and shallow and being blindfolded, he finds that all he can focus on is Spencer's touch on his body.

Spencer grabs his hips and Aaron feels hair slide over his cock and he moans. "Spencer, please…." He tries to arch his hips off the bed when Spencer kisses just below his navel and he twitches when he feels the soft nip to his skin, followed by Spencer's tongue laving the same spot.

As Spencer continues his gentle torture along Aaron's abdomen, up to his chest, Aaron wants nothing more than to touch Spencer and make him feel as good as he's making Aaron feel. He wants to watch Spencer, to remove the blindfold, to see what's happening to him…but he doesn't use his safeword, because he realises that being bound, being blindfolded is only making everything more intense. He doesn't have to worry about anything; about making sure Spencer is satisfied, about being the perfect lover…he can let go and enjoy this without feeling guilty.

When Spencer sucks on a nipple, Aaron arches off the bed and he gasps at the sharp nip on it and then Spencer is sucking on it again. He lavishes attention to first one, and then his other nipple and Aaron feels it in his cock, which is so hard he's aching. Spencer slowly kisses his way over Aaron's chest, moving up to suck and kiss his neck and Spencer's careful not to leave any marks. Spencer kisses him again, his tongue sliding into Aaron's mouth, exploring it like they've never kissed before.

Aaron is so wrapped up in the feel of Spencer's mouth on his that he doesn't notice one of Spencer's hands moving off of his body. He doesn't hear the nightstand drawer opening. It isn't until Spencer moves away from him that he realises something is happening; he moans at the loss of Spencer's hands and mouth on his body.

Gasping when he feels a cool, lube-slick finger pushing inside of him, Aaron moans and tries to push down on it, wanting more. Spencer works his finger in and out of his ass, adding a second one, slowly stretching Aaron. "Please, just do it, just fuck me now!" Aaron hisses; he isn't sure how much more of this he can take. He shouts when Spencer's fingers brush over his prostate and Aaron swears he can see sparks behind his eyelids. "Fuck, please…."

A moment later and Aaron feels Spencer's cock pushing against his hole, pushing in slowly, so slowly, until he's all the way in, filling Aaron completely. Spencer pauses for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Aaron squeezes his ass around Spencer's cock, enjoying the moan it drags out of him.

Spencer starts moving, fucking Aaron hard and fast. He leans over, kissing Aaron, claiming his mouth as hard as he's claiming his ass. Aaron raises his legs, hooking them around Spencer's hips, encouraging him to move harder and faster. Spencer breaks the kiss before he wraps a hand around Aaron's cock, stroking it in time to his thrusts into Aaron's ass.

All too soon, Aaron is close to coming: he can feel the pressure building in his balls and then Spencer pushes into him, hard, one last time, whispering, "Come for me, Aaron," just before biting Aaron at the juncture where shoulder meets neck. And he does; he comes hard, his cock jerking as it spurts into and over Spencer's hand. He hears Spencer grunt as he comes, filling Aaron's ass.

They're still for a moment until Aaron lets his legs drop from around Spencer's hips. Reaching up, Spencer takes off the blindfold and releases Aaron's hands before he drops onto the bed, rolling onto his back. They lie there, both of them panting and letting their bodies come down from the high. After a few minutes, Aaron rolls over, settling himself against Spencer's body: his head on Spencer's shoulder, arm around his waist and legs twisted with his.

Aaron sighs when he feels Spencer's arm wrap around his neck and his hand is slowly stroking the side of Aaron's head as he drifts off to sleep.

********************  
The next morning, after he awakens and remembers what happened last night, Aaron rolls over, sliding an arm around Spencer's waist while he lets his leg tangle between Spencer's. His kisses Spencer's neck, his tongue swirling random designs on the soft skin there. He can tell when Spencer awakens but doesn't stop his caress.

"Mmm, Aaron," Spencer murmurs, his voice still thick with sleep. He slides a hand over Aaron's shoulder and up to rub his neck.

Rising up on one elbow, Aaron looks at Spencer and smiles. His hair is messed up, almost parted in the middle, falling on either side of his face; his eyes are heavy lidded and his mouth parted slightly. Aaron wants nothing more than to kiss him, so he does. Spencer opens his mouth further for Aaron and they share a slow, sensual kiss.

Before they can do anything else, Aaron hears his cell phone ringing. "Christ," he mutters as he rolls onto his back for a moment before jumping out of Spencer's bed. Rushing into the hallway, he finds his pants and grabs the phone out if them. Flipping it open, he answers. "Hotchner."

It's Gideon, telling him they've got another case. He gets the details and tells Jason he'll be there in a half hour and hangs up. Seconds later Aaron hears Spencer's phone ring and the sound of Spencer talking. He collects his clothes off the floor. Aaron needs a shower. While he's trying to decide what to do, Spencer comes out to the kitchen, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"You have a change of clothes in your car?"

"Yeah and I need to take a shower," Aaron replies.

"You go on, take a shower, I'll run down to the car and get your stuff," Spencer says. "Oh, I told Gideon that I left my car at work and that I was going to call you to give me a drive, so he won't expect you as soon. And it won't look strange that we're coming in together."

Aaron smiles at Spencer and leans in to give him a quick kiss. "Thanks…you really are a genius," he says, heading for the bathroom.

"Yeah. I know," Spencer replies, grinning. He watches Aaron for a moment before heading out to get Aaron's gear from the car.

 

Epilogue  
3 days later

The team has solved another case. Spencer smiles as he carries some files from Garcia back to his desk; they'd stopped a child killer before he claimed another victim. When he gets back to the bullpen, he sees Gideon talking to JJ, Elle and Morgan. He watches for a moment and sees the matching looks of surprise on the their faces. Dropping the files on his desk, Spencer goes to Hotch's office. He raps lightly on the open door before walking in and closing it behind him.

Hotch gives a tight smile when he sees him. "Spencer?" he says, getting up from behind his desk.

Standing just inside the door, Spencer says, "So, Gideon…?"

"I asked him to tell them. I hope you two are right."

"We are," Spencer says with smirk. He walks over and takes a chair across from Hotch's desk.

"Look, Spencer, about the other night—"

Spencer holds up his hand, smiling almost sadly. "I know, you just needed the comfort, I do understand."

Hotch's smile slides into a more relaxed, natural one. "That's not what I was going to say." He walks over and locks his office door before moving to kneel in front of Spencer. Hotch looks up at him. "I was going to say it was…amazing and I'd like to continue…I want to be with you," he says.

Spencer smiles and leans forward, bringing a hand up to cup Hotch's face. "And I want to be with you, Aaron," he says. Closing the gap between them, he captures Hotch's mouth in a brief, hard kiss. When he pulls back, they stare at one another.

"I guess we should get back to work," Aaron says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I guess we should."

Aaron stands up, letting Spencer get up from the chair. He realises that both of them are grinning like idiots, but right now, Aaron doesn't really care. "So, tonight?"

"Yeah, tonight would be good. Maybe grab some supper…go back to my place. Or yours," Spencer replies. He's still smiling when he walks out of Hotch's office.

Aaron leans against his desk, watching Spencer leave. He has no idea where the two of them will go, nor where they'll end up, but Aaron is pretty sure they're going to enjoy the journey.

~~**the end**~~


End file.
